Family Economic Empowerment in the Kenyan Slums

From the field…..

“I never thought I could be a business woman, I feel great now that I’m able to provide for my kids”....Elizabeth

Elizabeth is a 37 year old single mother living with her five children in a rental house in the Madharau slums. Earning just ksh 200 per day ($2 USD) from casual jobs, she was struggling to provide for her children. Her daughter had been home for sometime for lack of secondary school fees. She was identified by the Macheo area social worker through her children, as they absent from school, often due to lack of school uniform. She was referred for economic empowerment. Elizabeth was taken through some training on financial management, savings and book keeping and she was found to be willing to start a business. She decided to be a green grocer and was given some stock to start her business. Within a few month, she expanded her business by adding charcoal and cooked food. Her business is doing well and she is now able to meet the basic needs of her children.

Economic wellbeing means people have their most basic survival needs met and have sustainable income and assets, in order to prosper.

During the reporting period, Macheo, through the Family Empowerment Program (FEP) carried out different interventions to assist people to identify achievable paths, that have the potential to offer a living wage, ensuring people have information about the job market and requirements for their specific fields and encouraging new entrepreneurs to grow through mentorship, financial management training and support.

The following activities Macheo carried out in the last quarter.

1. Seminars/trainings- These were carried out in the rural and urban areas which emphasized the importance of government documents and business skills.

2. Seed capital for economic support – With your help Macheo funded 10 family guardians in urban (Kiandutu) and 17 in rural (Iembeni)areas, were given seed capital to enhance a better way of life for supporting their children. Different types of businesses were set up which included small shops, farming, goats selling, groceries, charcoal distribution, new and second hand clothes and a hair salon.

3. Follow-up home visits - In this quarter, 453 follow up home visits were conducted in urban area (Kiandutu) and 410 in rural area (Iembeni). The social workers focused on the progress of individual family objectives, while giving information one on one.

4. Referrals - FEP facilitated the access of social security documentation for different families.

On behalf of our beneficiaries we would like to thank you for your continuous support. This has made it possible for Macheo to make a positive impact on the lives of the receiving families. Thank You.